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Seeing Su Yu just smiling and not responding, Wang Jinhe grew annoyed, grabbing his face and asking, “Did you hear what I said?”
“I heard,” Su Yu replied, smiling without saying more. Hearing was one thing, but acting on it was another.
Observing Su Yu’s insincere demeanor, Wang Jinhe didn’t need to guess to know what he was really thinking.
Rolling her eyes at Su Yu, Wang Jinhe, a bit irritated, instructed, “Get ready to go pick up the kids.”
“If Xiao Bao sees you, he’ll definitely be very happy,” Wang Jinhe said, smiling at Su Yu.
Su Yu earnestly nodded, stroking his chin, “I also think our son will be very happy to see me.”
After changing clothes and having dinner, the couple went together to pick up Xiao Bao and the others. When Xiao Bao saw Su Yu, for a moment, he thought he was mistaken.
Once assured it wasn’t a mistake, Xiao Bao ran happily towards Su Yu, embracing him and exclaiming, “Dad, you’re finally back!”
Lifting Xiao Bao up, Su Yu asked, “Son, you’ve gotten heavier.”
“I’ve grown taller,” Xiao Bao replied, puzzled by his father’s comment. How could he miss the obvious fact that he had grown taller and instead thought he had gained weight?
Is this something a father would say?
Suppressing a smile, Su Yu observed Xiao Bao, who had indeed gained a tiny bit of weight. Of course, this was not something to mention in front of him again, as it might upset Xiao Bao.
“Indeed, you’ve grown taller.”
After setting Xiao Bao down, Su Yu didn’t play favorites and also went to hug Xiao Zhi.
Xiao Zhi was momentarily surprised but then smiled happily. Dad was still as kind as before.
“Where are Xixi and Xiao Chen?”
“They are sleeping,” Xiao Bao shrugged, somewhat resigned.
Somehow, his younger siblings always loved to sleep. Whenever they grew tired of playing, they would prefer to sleep rather than continue playing. It was impossible to wake them up.
Su Yu was well aware of his youngest son and daughter’s personalities. These two children would choose sleep over playtime any day.
“When will the younger siblings stop loving sleep so much?”
“They should grow out of it as they get older.” Children tend to love sleeping when they are young, just like Xixi and Xiao Chen.
Despite still feeling a bit unhappy, Xiao Bao could only nod in agreement, saying, “Alright, I hope they stop loving sleep so much soon, or they won’t be able to play with us.”
Listening to Xiao Bao’s grumbling, Su Yu chuckled and ruffled his hair, “Isn’t it fun to play with your older siblings and Hong Yi?”
“It’s okay,” Xiao Bao replied. It was just that when he wanted to play with his younger siblings, they would simply glance at him as if he were some kind of fool, which felt frustrating.
Seeing Xiao Bao’s dejected expression, Xiao Zhi couldn’t help but laugh, “Sometimes when Xiao Bao wants to play with our younger siblings, they just ignore him with a single glance.”
Xiao Bao glared at Xiao Zhi, saying, “Brother, don’t expose me.”
Nodding with a smile, Xiao Zhi replied, “Alright, I won’t expose you.”
Rolling his eyes at Xiao Zhi, Xiao Bao decided he didn’t want to talk to him anymore.
“I’ll go talk to the emperor for a bit while you play with the kids, Jinhe,” Su Yu said as he looked at Wang Jinhe.
“You go do your thing, don’t worry about us,” Wang Jinhe replied.
As Su Yu left, Xiao Bao sighed like a little adult, “Sigh, Dad’s off to work again.”
“Your dad just returned from the frontier, he must have a lot to discuss with your Uncle. He’ll come play with you once he’s done,” Wang Jinhe reassured.
Though still somewhat dissatisfied, Xiao Bao reluctantly nodded, “Okay, I’ll forgive Dad this time.”
Watching Xiao Bao’s reaction, Xiao Zhi mercilessly teased, “Xiao Bao, you clearly miss Dad a lot. You tell me about it every day.”
“Can’t you just be quiet, brother?” Xiao Bao was getting frustrated. What was going on with his brother?
Xiao Zhi laughed heartily, realizing how rare it was to see Xiao Bao so exasperated as he grew up.
Indeed, they were still adorable this way.
Wang Jinhe watched the two children playfully bicker and shook her head with amusement, “You two are something else…”
“Imperial Aunt, can we come play at your place today?” It wasn’t fun in the palace; she wanted to visit Imperial Uncle’s residence.
Wang Jinhe nodded with a smile, “Of course.”
“Chang Le, don’t you want to ask the Empress for permission?” The Empress, observing her daughter’s request, inquired.
“I already asked the Empress earlier, and she agreed,” Chang Le replied after a moment of consideration.
The Empress chuckled, marveling at her child’s temperament that seemed to resemble no one in particular.
“Mother, I want to go too,” Hong Yi chimed in, unwilling to be left out.
The Empress teasingly tapped Hong Yi’s forehead and said, “Sometimes, I wonder if I treat you all poorly, which makes you want to run to your Uncle’s house every day.”
“Mother is very kind to us, but I just really like my brother,” Hong Yi replied earnestly.
He cherished his brother above all; even their parents couldn’t compare to the bond they shared.
“I really love my brother.”
The Empress, observing the interaction, turned to Wang Jinhe with a hint of helplessness and remarked, “The camaraderie among these children is something to envy at times.”
Since Xiao Bao and the others moved to the palace, she had come to realize just how strong their bond was. Before that, her understanding of their relationships had been quite limited due to their brief time together.
Seeing the children in such harmony brought joy to her heart.
“Yes, such pure friendship is beneficial for children,” she remarked, believing that this kind of innocent companionship enriched a child’s childhood.
“You’re right.”
As they watched the children and conversed, Su Yu headed to the study to find Xuan Feiran.
Xuan Feiran, unsurprised by Su Yu’s visit, asked, “When did you return?”
“I came back yesterday.”
“Good. What do you think about the situation in Lu Empire?” Xuan Feiran inquired, gazing at Su Yu.
Su Yu lounged lazily in his chair, saying, “For now, Lu Empire doesn’t seem interested in causing trouble for us. Taking over the cities from Qi Empire has been quite a hassle.”
“It’s not a concern for us, but it’s indeed troublesome for Lu Empire. I just hope they settle those civilians properly,” Xuan Feiran sighed with a hint of helplessness.
If Lu Empire didn’t take care of those civilians, by the time of the autumn harvest, those people would face serious challenges without food.
“I’ve kept something in reserve for those civilians. If Lu Empire neglects them, and if other Qi Empire citizens receive something, those civilians will have it too. If Lu Empire ignores them, those people will eventually come to our Empire,” Su Yu stated confidently.
Xuan Feiran looked at Su Yu and asked, “What if Lu Empire refuses to let them come?”